Thursday, October 31, 2013

Halloween can be such a fun holiday! From trick or treating and carving pumpkins, to corn mazes and haunted houses, every family has their own fun Halloween traditions. Of course, there is always a ton of Halloween candy and treats involved. The question for many parents is, how can you keep your kids moving and burn off all the extra candy?

There are many great ideas that can still be Halloween related! Put on "Monster Mash" and let the kids dance away. Turn a game of Capture the Flag into Capture the Ghost with the simple change of flag color to white. Have races while the racers hop like frogs, or wobble like zombies

For a full list of physical Halloween activities that are fun click here.

Friday, October 18, 2013

Bullying seems to always be in the news. Tragic stories of bullying lead us to think of how we can stop bullying when we see it. Bullying can occur anywhere. From the playgrounds to the classrooms, and after school activities to the Internet, the task of combating bullying can seem overwhelming. We have published a guide on our website that focuses on bullying prevention. With focusing on the prevention aspect, we hope to stop bullying before it gets started.

Studies have shown that bullying occurs every seven minutes on the playground, and every twenty-five minutes in the classroom. Online bullying, or cyberbullying, can occur any time, day or night. Sometimes, bullying can be so severe that a child refuses to go to school out of fear or embarrassment. The National School Climate Center states that 85% of the time, there is no intervention from adults or even other children. Despite the severity of bullying (some cases have led to suicide), little is done to stop or even prevent it.

One of the easiest ways to prevent bullying is to simply teach your child about bullying. They need to feel comfortable discussing the topic, so that if it happens to them they will be more likely to tell an adult. They also need to be able to recognize signs of bullying in case they have a friend who is being bullied. Children can reach out to those being bullied and can become an ally when informing an adult.

Bullying isn't just physical. Bullying can be verbal as well. Just because there are no physical signs of bullying, such as bruises, does not mean bullying is not happening. A lot of scars from bullying are emotional. Recognizing the emotional changes in children can help to catch when bullying is occurring.

Bullying is a serious issue and while our article is not the only answer, it is a great place to start.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Today, a few of our sales representatives flew down to Houston, Texas for the 2013 NRPA Congress. The National Recreation and Park Association, or NRPA, hosts this show every year as a way for its' 40,000+ members to get together and explore the latest in the industry.

Once in attendance, members can browse the booths of various organizations and see first hand the great products that are out there. Learning about new companies, visiting with old friends, and making new network connections are just a few of the fun things that go on on the show room floor! Attendees have to opportunity to join in hundreds of educational sessions on a wide variety of topics and hear several speakers.

Each year the NRPA hosts this conference in a different city, enabling attendees to explore cities all over the country!

To learn more about the NRPA click here.
To learn more about the NRPA Congress click here.